This Controversial ‘Pokemon’ Poll Has Enraged The Internet

You may not realize it, but the Pokemon fandom can be ride-or-die at times. If you come for a specific Pocket Monster, you best believe someone will come after your critique, and it seems one poll is showing how intense netizens can be over the iconic franchise.

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So, word to the wise… If you go after Chikorita, you may find yourselves catching a few thousand hands.

Recently, the Internet rose up to defend the Pokemon when an online poll revealed its top picks for the most useless starters. A website in Japan known as Goo ranking held the vote, and more than 4,000 netizens answered the call. And, as you can see below, its list left a bad taste with die-hard fans (via Crunchyroll).

Tepig came in tenth place before Froakie of Pokemon X and Y fame came in ninth. Treecko, Turtwig, and good-old Charmander followed after before Chespin came in fifth. Squirtle locked in fourth place before Bulbasaur made a grab for third, two choices which are controversial in their own right. Then, Piplup took over second place and left Chikorita to enjoy first place as the most useless start Pokemon to date.

For those unfamiliar with the starter debate, the argument against Chikorita is not new. As a pure Grass-type, the cutesy character has often been overlooked in favor of characters like Cyndaquil and Totodile. Chikorita’s stats make it far better suited as a support Pokemon, making it hard to use the creature as an offensive starter which is needed for Pokemon Gold and Silver.

Over the years, these factors have led Chikorita to becoming a bit of a meme on the Internet, but it seems fans have had enough of the blatant abuse. All you have to do is check out the slides below to see how indignant netizens are on behalf of the leaf-baring starter.

So, what do you make of this controversy? Do you stand with Chikorita? Or do you find that starter to be a nuisance? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!